Our good friend Joey Harrington is joining the folks at Fox College Football broadcasting this season so we had to get him on with Chad in the Afternoon to wish him luck on his new adventure.

Harrington states that he was very impressed with Marcus Mariota’s performance versus Arkansas State – not so much because of the touchdowns or the even the completion percentage.  He was most impressed with the poise and leadership he showed in running the team.  

Harrington insists that when he threw his first TD pass and won his first game at QB, he was celebrating.  Mariota acted like he had been throwing TDs and running the team for years.  

“Everything you saw from him was been there done that.  From a freshman, that’s incredible to see.”

Harrington also addressed the growing concern of concussions in professional football.  When asked whether he thought he was informed enough about concussions and head injuries as a player, he implied that it wouldn’t have mattered because 99 percent of the guys in the NFL would play through the pain.  And when Chad referenced retired NFL players who had such severe brain damage that they forgot where they lived when they stepped out of their house, he had a rather surprising response:

“It’s not unbelievable to be honest.  I believe it.  It’s a shame, but I believe it.”

Take a listen to the great interview with the former Oregon quarterback and be sure to look for him on Fox every college football Saturday.